XP my system happily connects to a WIFI network.
Other people in the room, with vista, connect to this network happily.
Antivirus disabled.
Firewall disabled.
Its an infrastructure point, and I tried about 5 separate points to get a connection and got this error every single time.
BY the way I'm writing this on mywireless network at home.
Additional info: There is 0 security on the point itself, they implement a VPN system to ensure high quality encryption of the connection. My network at home is WPA and connects successfully.
Thanks guys.

February 20th, 2007 12:28am

FYI
I have an AR500G wireless adapter (Atheros).
The windows update for this driver caused the problem, I rolled the driver back and had no issues connecting to my wireless point. I'd be happy to send more information if it's needed to help you guys improve the driver, or did Atheros screw it up??

I've got one unfortunatecustomer who has 2 new Vista PCs and one XP PC configured on a Dlink router (expensive doorstop). One Vista PC connects via a real network cable to the router and that works perfectly. The other Vista PC had a DLink G520 PCI adapter installed, and the DLink G520 Vista driver is just abysmal - procedure entrypoint errors, system hangs the works.The DLink "Vista Driver" does not appear to be useful in any sense of the word. In this case, rolling back the driver did not help at all, in fact it made the situation worse as the driver failed to initialise at all, and Vista reports no Wifi network adapters installed!
So I dug around and a week later I finally found a Netgear WPN311 adapter available in Australia with a blue "Vista Ready" sticker, and installed it and... get exactly the same problem. Click "connect", get "Could not connect to network", click "Diagnose", get "Wireless association failed ...", try uninstalling and reinstalling, try different adapter card, PCI slot, nada.
At one stage, after resetting the wifi router and restarting it with WEP disabled (no encryption at all), I got a "the network you are connecting to is hidden, and/or your network settings prevents this computer from connecting" message on the PC with the Netgear PCI adapter, but since the hub/router was DHCPand the PC was DHCP, I couldn't figure out a way to get the "right" settings.
To add some fun, starting the Netgear "Wizard" was a matter of pure chance - doubleclicking the desktop icon or the Netgear entry in the Start menu did not usually start the wizard. In fact, I tried to start the application 8 times at one stage before the "Wizard" would "start". That's just lousy QA. These are not what I would consider "beta" stable releases.
I also found that once I disabled the IPV6 protocol from the Netgearnetwork card's bindings, I could not re-enable it because it refused to recognise the adapter. That just leaves me with such a warm fuzzy feeling, I could vomit.
I also note in passing that the mechanism for specifying the type of encryption, the keys, the preferred network status, and many other networking parameters are duplicated across multiple dialog boxes in Vista, and they most definitely do NOT reliably reflect settings made in other places.
I ended up trying to figure out what was actually configured using the DOS box "netsh wlan show all", but Murphy intervened and the flash drive I redirected the output to hung the system. That's when I admitted defeat and ran CAT6 cables from the computer to the router, which suddenly brought the whole network to instant perfect life.
I've been doing this stuff since 1991, and this has got to be the worst thought-out OS "upgrade" I've seen. Even the pre-SP2 days of XP were easier to figure out. The lipstick might be on the pig with Vista, but kiss it and you still get MS pig bristles up your nose.
If anyone does find a suitable way to solve this annoying and ridiculous issue, I would very much appreciate hearing them. And I will update this if I find a way around the problem that doesn't involve copper wire and a chainsaw.
-PC Pete
Data is not Information; Information is not Knowledge; Knowledge is not Wisdom.

July 28th, 2007 11:48am

I had the same problem (unknown failure etc). I've managed to find a solution (that worked for me...) so I thought I'd post it here as I looked here for a solution first. Also here are some things that were suggested (including by MS) that didn't work.
Didn't work (but might for you):
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928233/en-us
Basically, stop Vista using the BROADCAST flag on dhcp packets.For me, turned out my access point was not vista compatible - even after disabling the above, no joy. Upgraded AP firmware fixed everything, reversed the registry hack and it still works. The AP was an Edimax EW-7209APg, and the new firmware was released midway through last year. It wasn't even running the dhcp, that's on a router that connects to it through a cable.Hope this helps somebody.Martin Wilkerson

Martin, thanks so much for the tip. I'll try it out (remote site) in the next couple weeks.
I've just spent the last hour trying to find this forum again so I could say "thanks".. the original alert went into the dirtysmellydark mailhole, and I'd already deleted the original alert. Thank<insert personal deity here> for K9...
Anyway... thanks.

March 7th, 2008 8:12am

Hello Spenceee,This should help...To resolve this issue, disable the DHCP BROADCAST flag in Windows Vista. To do this, follow these steps:
Click Start
Collapse this image Expand this image
, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then click regedit in the Programs list.
Collapse this image Expand this image
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{GUID}In this registry path, click the (GUID) subkey that corresponds to the network adapter that is connected to the network.
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value.
In the New Value #1 box, type DhcpConnEnableBcastFlagToggle, and then press ENTER.
Right-click DhcpConnEnableBcastFlagToggle, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
Close Registry Editor.
By setting this registry key to 1, Windows Vista will first try to obtain an IP address by using the BROADCAST flag in DHCP Discover packets. If that fails, it will try to obtain an IP address without using the BROADCAST flag in DHCP Discover packets.
REGISTRY DISCLAIMER
Modifying REGISTRY settings incorrectly can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the configuring of REGISTRY settings can be solved. Modifications of these settings are at your own risk..
Thank you,
Aaron Griffin
Microsoft Support

It took me 5 months to get back to the customer, but the broadcast flag fix DEFINITELY WORKED! THanks so much for the help. And accept my apologies for the year-long reply.Data is not Information; Information is not Knowledge; Knowledge is not Wisdom.

July 12th, 2009 2:59am

Okay, why don't machines with VISTA on them have a big warning on the box:WARNING, THIS MACHINE MAY NOT WORK WITH YOUR WIRELESS ROUTER WITHOUT A REGISTRY HACK. DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE UNLESS YOU ARE COMFORTABLE CHANGING THE REGISTRY.I have 3 laptops with Vista on them. I have lost count of the hours I have spent over the last couple of years trying to get them to connect to my wireless router. Weirdly, an IPOD touch connects okay and, of course, my old XP laptop.As this is a known issue, why isn't a change made to the system so you can switch the broadcast flag on and off without having to go near the registry?

Aaron hi, I have just updated my laptop to Vista Ultimate and expirencing the same Wireless association failed due to an unknown reason error. I was able to connect wirelessly to a SKY Sagem router when it was XP, but now connecting with Vista I can't. I have followed the regedit steps from your post on 20th March 09 - but with no success. Are there any other solutions - or downloadable fixes??Are there any wireless routerswhich Vista can connect to without this issue?Many Thanks

September 3rd, 2009 11:11am

Hello Spenceee,This should help...To resolve this issue, disable the DHCP BROADCAST flag in Windows Vista. To do this, follow these steps:
Click Start
Collapse this image Expand this image
, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then click regedit in the Programs list.
Collapse this image Expand this image
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{GUID}
In this registry path, click the (GUID) subkey that corresponds to the network adapter that is connected to the network.
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value.
In the New Value #1 box, type DhcpConnEnableBcastFlagToggle, and then press ENTER.
Right-click DhcpConnEnableBcastFlagToggle, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
Close Registry Editor.
By setting this registry key to 1, Windows Vista will first try to obtain an IP address by using the BROADCAST flag in DHCP Discover packets. If that fails, it will try to obtain an IP address without using the BROADCAST flag in DHCP Discover packets.
REGISTRY DISCLAIMER
Modifying REGISTRY settings incorrectly can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the configuring of REGISTRY settings can be solved. Modifications of these settings are at your own risk..
Thank you,
Aaron Griffin
Microsoft Support
After Doing all these steps i can't log in to my wireless network please help